New York City Police Lt. Tim O'Leary, who got a big page three write-up in the Daily News when he nabbed a violent rape suspect a couple of weeks ago, is a customer of Shamrock Service Station on Herricks Road.

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Eddie Rzeszut is a customer of the Williston Beverage Co. on Willis Avenue. Eddie and his wife Margaret live on Latham Road and are faithful parishioners at Corpus Christi Church.

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Lawrence Jones of the law firm of Jones and Jones on Old Country Road, tells us that his law firm was established in Mineola Oct. 17, 1929.

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All that graffiti, we are glad to note, has been removed from the Allied building on Roslyn Road.

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Bob and Pat Monti, who used to live in Williston Park and owned Bomont's Restaurant, are happily retired and living in Florida. They are also new grandparents.

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Joan and Greg Freed announce the birth of a daughter, Rachel Elyse, on Aug. 24. Some will remember Joan who worked for her dad Dr. Dominick Mandracchia, the dentist, on Mineola Boulevard. By the way Doc and Mrs. Mandracchia are visiting Spain.

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A new donut shop is said to be coming to Jericho Turnpike to the spot where the bagel shop was formerly located. No village permission is needed because the location is already authorized to sell food. It was different where the KFC building is located. Village OK was needed there because the old structure was torn down (thank goodness) and a new building was erected.

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Father Robert Batule addressed his homily to St. Francis of Assisi who was born in the 13th century to a well-to-do family of merchants. St. Francis gave up all his possessions and took a vow of poverty. The annual Blessing of the Animals and the Feast of St. Francis, which is celebrated in Catholic and many Protestant churches, triggered his homily. He also denounced the Brooklyn Museum's showing of the insulting picture of the Virgin Mary. He said it was an attack on all motherhood.

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Main Street Hardware became the first store to apply for the $10,000 grant for improvements to the store fronts. The county is granting this amount of money to any store in the Main and 2nd Street areas who request it. Requests must be made by the owner of the building. This is part of the campaign to revive downtown shopping areas and is called "Operation Downtown."

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Former Mineola Editor Jim Kennedy is now with the Meeting News, a big glossy twice-a-month magazine that covers meetings and conventions throughout the United States.

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Hank Karcher has given me his huge stamp collection. Hank and his wife Edna have lived on Frank Avenue for the past 44 years. He is a member of the Williston Park American Legion. My collection, which now numbers about 12,000, is greatly facilitated by our daughter Sr. Annmarie. Her many missionary friends send me stamps from all over the world.

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Kathleen Lonetto, who used to work for the Mineola American, lives in Washington DC. Touring the Internet, she picked up our website and read our column. Some may remember her as she lived in town and wrote for us in the '80s. She does freelance work and writes historical pieces for a number of magazines. Our site is antonnews.com. Her husband is a history buff and they both love to roam old battlefield sites. They have two daughters, Christina, soon to be wed, and Samantha.

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You can't miss former music teacher Al Marino who takes fast walks throughout the west end. Slightly bent and arms swinging vigorously and moving at a rapid pace, he knows how to keep in shape.